A Day with the Seeker
by Eastorion
Summary: A series of one-shots to flesh out the romance between the Inquisitor and our beloved Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast throughout the story of the game and perhaps beyond. Starring Eagon Trevelyan, the noble rogue extraordinaire. Also starring many other Inquisition members. Basically my attempt to fix the lack of works for male Inquisitor/Cassandra pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**: This one is inspired from the banter between Cassandra &amp; Vivienne, in which Vivienne told Cassandra how half of the court was already talking about her dance with the Inquisitor even before the song ended. I love that line.

Finally it is done, the Inquisitor said to himself. It was a long, grueling night filled with blurs of fancy dresses, plotting whispers behind masks, endless music and dishes enough to feel sick of and behind all that, a maze of a palace garnished with gold, shadows and _blood stains. _Truly_, _so much blood was spilled that night and yet even then the party still continued. Orlesians.

Eagon Trevelyan found himself slouched at the railings of the balcony at the far end of the palace. The arcane advisor to the Orlesian throne, Morrigan, just announced herself as the liaison to the Inquisition. She sprang that info at him without much preamble and then strutted away just as freely. Eagon had heard what the court had whispered about her tonight and while he firmly supports mage freedom, he couldn't help but feeling wary. She's obviously different compared to all the mages he had encountered. It's one more concern to throw on top of the pile of all other issues he had dug up that night.

The Inqusitor drew a long breath and let his body slouched even further on the railings. He had his eyes closed when he heard footsteps behind him. He cursed inwardly, thinking it's another member of the court approaching to congratulate him upon his feats, that he had "saved Orlais from an impending doom", or some other combination of words of praise that have been thrown at him numerously that night. The man readied himself, trying to paste his Inquisitor look and smile to greet whoever it is, when a voice that he didn't expect reached his ears.

"I can't believe you escaped before me. A fat count insisted on talking about soup for fifteen minutes."

Eagon swiveled his head and the sight of Cassandra Pentaghast, his lover, standing at the threshold of the balcony with arms folded across her chest, entered his sight. She's still wearing the formal uniform that Josephine had issued to all of them a few days before they depart to Halamshiral.

"We _can't _attend an Orlesian ball in full armors. Too intimidating and not… classy. We have to make sure we're sending the right message to everyone in the ball. So, I asked one of the best tailors in Orlais to make these uniforms. Nothing too fancy, not too drab and they still give us a distinct look as a force while also reflecting class and authority, even when we have to mingle among frilly dresses and freshly pressed suits of the Orlesian nobles ", she had said while handing the uniforms to the members gathered in her office.

Vivienne managed to only look slightly offended at the prospect of going to a ball without a proper dress that reflects her stature as the court enchanter. Sera made some snorting and gagging noises until Eagon shot her a sharp glare, while Cassandra, although looking rather dejected, received her uniform without much protest. Eagon himself is not a fan of fashion and fancy suits, but wearing a uniform that looks like it's going to rip once he swings his daggers while trying to prevent a regicide? They could have done worse.

Snapped back to the present, Eagon couldn't help but thanking Josephine inwardly for the uniform, if only because it enabled him to see Cassandra in something that doesn't resemble the armour that she always wear, even when in Skyhold. He had to resist the urge to punch something back in the ballroom when he heard some ladies whispering about the shame of an attire that "Lady Pentaghast, the royal princess of Nevarra" is wearing.

She walked closer to the edge of the balcony and stood next to the Inquisitor. He could almost feel her body heat through their similarly red uniforms in the chilly night.

"Is something wrong?", she asked, voice tight with worry once she saw that Eagon didn't answer her annoyed remark with one of his witty returns as he usually do. One of her hands settled lightly on his shoulders.

"I'm fine. It's just been a very long night", Eagon tried to muster a half smile and if Cassandra noticed him faking it, she didn't press about it.

"It is, isn't it? And we still have long ways to go after this", she sighed and moved her eyes to the dark silhouettes of the towers of Halamshiral before them.

The Inquisitor didn't answer and for a few moments it's just the two of them, with the white stones of the palace balcony, the silvery moonlight and the faint music drifting from inside the ballroom.

Slowly Eagon looked up and gazed at Cassandra's face, for a moment studying her face under the night sky. She's not what most people would describe as a beautiful woman, with her high cheekbones and wide jaw and a visible scar across her face. It also doesn't help that she's also a strong-headed bull of a woman who couldn't care less for any sort of vanity and she surely can beat any man to a pulp if she wants to. Yet to him, all her strong features and her scars, be it the one on her face and the many more that adorn the skin across her body only serve to remind him how beautiful she is to him in her own way. Besides, he knew that behind the disciplined warrior there's a passionate woman that is hidden from almost everyone but a few. It only made him love her more.

Apparently his staring didn't go unnoticed and Cassandra cleared her throat nervously to divert his attention. She could feel heat creeping up on her face.

"With all that happened today we should put the soldiers at Skyhold on alert. Just to be safe. We can return whenever you like, the sooner the better", she said carefully while trying to maintain a serious face despite feeling rather hot at the moment.

She started to move to get inside and tell the others to get ready when suddenly a grasp at her arms stopped her movement.

"Wait, there's still one more thing we have to do."

Eagon grinned and Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him which only made him grinned wider. He stepped back and stretched out her right hand to her,

"May I have this dance, Lady Cassandra?"

He bowed once and then gazed straight to her with expectant eyes, the grin still plastering his face.

"A dance? After all we've been through tonight?"

"Can you think of a better way to celebrate? Do you think I was joking when I asked you back there? I've been waiting all night for this, you know."

Her lips curled into a smile at the words. She placed her hand on top of his and let herself be pulled to him. The music from the ballroom is faint as it is on the balcony, but just enough for them to dance to. Not that any of them are dance champions anyway. Eagon recalled her dance with the Duchess and how it was basically pure luck that he didn't trip on her dancing partner's dress or his own feet. He'd never been a fan of dancing despite his noble birth. Being the youngest of his siblings also means his parents hadn't been too pressing on him to be the master of everything. If he guessed it right, Cassandra's also not exactly an expert in this activity. Still, he wouldn't want to miss this chance to dance with his Lady Seeker.

As he grasped one of her hands, with his other one slipped to her waist and held her close to him, and her other hand rested on his shoulder, somehow he felt that maybe it's going to be alright. They started to move in small steps while keeping their bodies close together, the faint music guiding them. It's nothing like the large, elaborate moves he'd seen performed by the Orlesian nobles in the ballroom, but with her, it felt so much more satisfying. A few steps later, he could see that her face, just inches from his, started to blush and he's more than sure that his looked just the same. What an awkward sight they must have been; a man and a woman, both wearing military uniform, dancing on a balcony with almost non-existent steps that could only be described as boring. Suddenly all the remains of his wandering thoughts left him as Cassandra rests her head on his shoulder, her breath heating the side of his neck. It was an intimate gesture that he didn't really expect her to do, especially not in such place and time where the gossip-prone Orlesian court nobles were just a few pace away.

"I suppose this isn't… terrible", she said in an almost whisper. Eagon felt something in his chest constricted at her words, at all _this_, and he found himself tightening the hold he had on her waist, drawing her body flush to his. He couldn't care anymore if any of the nobles spotted them in this position. They would gossip about them either way.

"Of course it's not. We should do this more often", he answered softly and then landed a kiss on top of her head. He heard her almost soft sigh and knew that she enjoyed this as much as he did. They continued their little dance in silence and he said to himself, not for the first time, that he truly loves this woman. That he would never let her go. The road before them might still be very long and perilous, but as long as she's beside him, they would endure it all.

* * *

Vivienne entered the ballroom after she finished treating the wounds on Sera. The girl's excessive distrust towards anything magic didn't exactly help to make the process go smoothly. Exasperated, the court enchanter strolled towards one of the wine tables to pick a glass for herself. Standing with a glass of wine in one hand, she eyed the people around her and listened closely for any interesting bits, hoping to gauge the nobles' immediate reaction to what happened that night.

"Did you see that?"

"You mean the Inquisitor and Lady Pentaghast?"

"Can you imagine such a pairing?"

"I wonder if we'll get a date soon. I have to decide what to wear."

Vivienne raised one of her delicate eyebrows. What could they be talking about? Of course, she already had a suspicion since one cannot be a good player of the Game without noticing the awkward courting between the Inquisitor and the Lady Seeker. If _that_ could be called courting, she rolled her eyes inwardly. That's when she caught a glimpse of a small number of nobles positioning themselves near the northern balcony of the palace. She glided closer and her eyes caught the scene that caused all the fuss through the half-closed door. She almost broke into a smile yet at the same time her mind started to reel, knowing that the Inquisition could utilize the unavoidable spread of gossip to attract even more support. Yet, for now, she'll let the pair enjoy their moment. They have more than deserved it after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for all the faves, follows and reviews! I hope I'm not breaking anything that Bioware has wonderfully crafted.

This chapter is specially dedicated to the people who had to break immersion and plan carefully to avoid a certain person get elected as Divine in the game. Cassandra's only in the background but we have Dorian today. I also apologize if the grammar gets even worse. This really strains my inadequate English to the limit but I'm trying.

* * *

Eagon could hardly believe himself. Candidates for the next Divine? Leliana and Cassandra?

As the words left the mouth of the Chantry delegate, he could feel as if someone just dropped a block of ice down his insides. Still, he tried to respond politely and explained that both of them were very important to the Inquisition. He wasn't lying. Leliana, with her personal experience and her agents was able to solve delicate problems that couldn't be intimidated by Cullen's forces or coaxed by Josephine's ambassadors. As for Cassandra, she had been the one who pushed the Inquisition into motion in the first place and still remained as a very strong, drawing presence in the Inquisition. Now they want him to let them go?

The Chantry delegate had to left empty-handed that day, but she left something else; an air of uncertainty and confusion for the Inqusition at the prospect of seeing one of their own as the next Divine. The implications spoke volumes and Eagon found himself in a position where he had the advantage to steer the events as he saw fit. He wasn't sure if he wants that. As if the burden placed on his shoulders everyday wasn't heavy enough.

Carefully, he tried to ask both women for their opinion, about what they actually want, only to get his question deflected.

_It doesn't matter what I want, what matters is that the Chantry needs to change._

_Perhaps I must be the one to change it._

Leliana somehow showed a hint of amusement at the turn of events, but then he saw with his own eyes how it quickly changed into a sharp resolve. Eagon could almost see the plans and schemes forming in her calculating mind. He witnessed the same amount of determination in Cassandra. For a moment, he thought to ask her the inevitable question, of the future of their relationship, but the way she spoke about her visions of the future Chantry made him throw the notion to the farthest corner of his mind. If the same depressing thought ever crossed the former Seeker's mind, she hid it well. It only caused him to feel even more agitated.

That night the Eagon found himself pacing in his quarters, unable to fall asleep. The Inquisitor in him continuously pondered the two possible options. Leliana's radical approach was very enticing for anyone who wanted a fundamental change to the Chantry. Yet, her plans could easily throw Thedas into another chaotic situation if not laid out very, very carefully. Cassandra's plans sounded . However he couldn't help notice the idealistic streak in it and if his experience with various factions in Thedas can be used as a cue, most likely someone, somewhere is going to try to trip her on the way.

Eagon let out a long, defeated sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. He secretly wished that he could use Magister Alexius' time magic to take a peek at the future once again. There were simply too many things to consider; each option could do nicely or go horribly wrong. He couldn't help to think that there's also a chance that all his worries might be all for naught. Perhaps the clerics will choose someone else and he wouldn't have to do anything. But would it be the best for Thedas? Isn't it his responsibility as the Inquisitor to lead the people to gain what is the best for them? And then there's also the more egoistic part of him, a shadow lurking in his heart, telling him to do something to prevent Cassandra from leaving the Inquisition, from leaving him.

A knock on his door broke the weary tension in the air, followed by an almost melodic male voice from the other side of the door.

"Eagon? I know you're still awake, I can hear your shuffling from here. May I come in?"

It was Dorian. Since that fateful day only a few people call him by his name anymore and Dorian's one of them. Both of them had to withstand strange gossips and accusations from left and right but in the end Dorian was and would always be his true friend. He knew that behind the mage's seemingly excessive vanity there's a perceptive, intelligent man that shared many of his views about a lot of things.

Eagon opened his door and let him in. Dorian settled on the couch next to his bed, his movements lacked the usual flourish.

"I've heard about... things. About Leliana and Cassandra. I believe this must not be a good time to receive such news", he started slowly.

The Inquisitor let out a grim chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. That was a massive understatement.

For a moment Dorian fell silent, his eyes fixed at his own hands, his fingers tapping anxiously on the couch's arm. He forced them to stop and opened his mouth once again.

"Look, I'm going to say something and I'm saying this because you, Cassandra, and even Leliana, are my friends and I want the best for all of you, all of us." He looked at the Inquisitor straight in the eyes and firmly said, "You can't possibly let Cassandra become the Divine."

Eagon started to open his mouth to form a word but Dorian put up his hand.

"Listen to me, please. It's for the best. Have you seen what happened at the Conclave? At Kirkwall? The Chantry is the easiest target, the fragile switch to anger as many people as possible, to inflict chaos at the largest scale with the least amount of effort. Whoever sits on the throne at these times is going to paint herself with a giant target sign on her back. You know better than I do that many people are going to try to hit that target using whatever they can find. They can't all march through the front door for everyone to see!"

Dorian abruptly stood and grabbed Eagon by his shoulders, his face suddenly hardened.

"We - _you_ \- need to do this right. The Chantry needs someone who can stand against all those attacks and keep everything stable as long as possible. Is that person Cassandra? She can lead an army of her own, she can win a duel with any chevalier, she's a very determined and inspiring woman, but can she be a good Divine at these times? Can _you_ let her get through all that?"

As he got his point across, Dorian almost visibly deflated and threw himself once again on the couch. Eagon couldn't even form a rebuttal, Dorian's words whirling like a storm in his mind. Dorian continued on.

"I'm not saying we should support Leliana although I wouldn't mind that personally. I just…", he failed to continue and resorted to a sigh.

For a moment, both of them stared at each other in silence. Then finally, the Inquisitor stuttered a tired response, his hand raked through his auburn hair.

"I appreciate that you're telling me this Dorian, but I need time to think about it some more. I don't think this is an easy decision either way."

A weak smile formed on Dorian's lips, "I know. It's never easy. I'm always here to help if you need me." He stood, gave the Inquisitor a well-meant slap at the back and walked to the door.

Suddenly he stopped, his hand frozen on the door handle, and added, "I understand there must be something else that you're considering right now. About you and Cassandra. What I said earlier has nothing to do with your relationship with her, but if you want to take it as an extra weight to help tip the balance, to help you decide where you stand, please do so. I don't mind. Both of you deserve happiness after what you've done for everyone else. Good night."

The door closed behind Dorian and Eagon dropped himself on top of his bed. The shadow in his heart had grown even more restless and he asked himself, is it truly alright to do it like this?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**: Apologies for the slow update. I was distracted by Dying Light and kept busy by the crappy weather here where I live. Today I'm writing from the perspective of the inner circle members and I have to say it's really fun. Maybe I'll have more of the type in the future, but don't expect me to cover everyone as there are some characters that I just can't put my finger on.

Enjoy!

* * *

They were trekking over the Emerald Graves that day; the Inquisitor, Cassandra, Solas and Blackwall himself. They were going to inspect some of the villas dotting the Graves that had been deserted since the Orlesian Civil War broke, securing the area and looking for survivors. It was a rare occurrence for the Inquisitor to be accompanied by both shield bearers from his inner circle since he preferred employing stealth attacks or magic storms, or sometimes both, on his attackers compared to direct match of brawns. The seasoned warrior couldn't deny that logic since sometimes their enemies could be much more unchivalrous than he would have liked.

The Inquisition scouts had reported that there were giants and brontos roaming about some areas of the Graves, which he believed was the reason why he was asked to come along in addition to Cassandra's permanent post by the Inquisitor's side. Those mountains of meat and hard skin wouldn't go down in a single stab to the back or a well-placed shock of thunder. Before setting out, Blackwall rechecked the harness of his shield, to make sure the equipment wouldn't fall out of his grip if by chance it got slammed by a giant or head-butted by a bronto later.

Everything was going smoothly apart from the one or two group of Freemen soldiers they encountered along the way. They even managed to find a family of refugees hiding in one of the villas and pointed them to go Fairbanks' camp. Apparently their luck for that day had ran out then, since they encountered not one, but two giants on their way back to the camp. Blackwall saw the hulking towers of raw power approached and braced himself for a hard fight. He quickly raised his shield and rushed forward, trying to lure one of the giants to focus its attacks on him. A quick glance to the side told him that Cassandra was doing the same with the other one. Solas has started laying elemental mines around the giants while the Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen. Blackwall knew he must had slipped out of view to target the giants from behind.

They continued as such; the shieldbearers kept the giants busy while Solas and the Inquisitor attacked from various angles. After a while, the first giant went down and Blackwall gathered all his remaining strength, moving to help Cassandra who's still facing the other at a slight distance from where he was. The giant was also already injured but unfortunately still fighting fiercely. That was when he saw something large and grey dashed from the corner of his vision towards the direction of the Seeker.

"Cassandra, watch out!"

Blackwall yelled to warn her but it was too late, the massive bronto head-butted Cassandra from the side, causing her to lost her balance and fell to the ground. The beast bolted away as sudden as its appearance but the danger had not yet passed. The remaining giant decided to use the chance to strike, lumbering towards where Cassandra was still trying to get up to her feet. It's obvious that the impact had injured her somehow.

_Maker, she's not gonna make it._

Blackwall thought bitterly even when he pushed his legs, already weakened from keeping his defensive stance while being pounded repeatedly by a giant, as fast as he could. When he thought back about that incident he's pretty sure everything that happened only spanned a few seconds but when he was there it felt like eternity.

As if the shock for the day weren't enough already, he saw someone suddenly jumped in front of the Seeker. It was the Inquisitor.

_No. No. The Inquisitor is indispensable_.

"Inquisitor!"

"No!"

He wasn't even sure who shouted then, his age-weathered body filled with adrenaline and he could almost hear blood rushing on his ears.

The giant already lifted his huge fists, the Inquisitor still unmoved with the injured Cassandra behind him, her expression unreadable. The giant's fists swung towards them with a loud whoosh and Blackwall roared. He can't fail them like this.

Suddenly a bluish sheet of magic enveloped both the Inquisitor and Cassandra and the giant's fists deflected back from its target. The giant was dazed, stopping his movements for a split second. Blackwall saw the chance, gripped his sword with both hands, jumped as high as he could and stabbed the giant on its chest. His sword went through its front and the giant fell on its side, unmoving.

As he tried to even out his ragged breath, he looked around and found Solas just a few meters on his left, heaving and leaning on his staff. That was too close. Not even Solas' barrier could withstand continuous attacks from the giant. The Inquisitor was helping Cassandra to stand and to Blackwall's slight surprise, she grabbed his lapels roughly until their heads almost bump on each other and spoke with a rough voice,

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what? Saving you from imminent death?"

The Inquisitor spat back, staring right back to her eyes. It's obvious that they were both upset at how things had developed.

"You are the Inquisitor, the most important person in our cause and should something happen to you, our efforts will be for nothing."

"So you mean I should have just stood by and do nothing? That giant could have crushed you to death, Cassandra!"

For a few moments they stared at each other, no one willing to back down from their position, their expression grim. Slowly, the man lowered his head and covered the hands still latching on his lapels with his own. His voice started to shake when he spoke next.

"You know I wouldn't be able to do that. I might be important for the Inquisition, but you are just as important for me."

The intimate words and gesture set the bells ringing in Blackwall's head. He shouldn't have had blatantly stared at the private moment. He searched around for Solas and found him squatting near one of the giant's carcass, searching for anything that can be looted with his back towards everyone else. Damn that elf. He decided to join the mage but still kept a part of his vision trained on the other two. He's not spying, he told himself, just wanted to make sure no other rampant beasts launched another surprise attack on his companions while they're busy talking. It's also not his fault if they spoke loud enough for him to hear everything they said.

"No, it is my duty to protect you, to make sure that this Inquisition serves its purpose. If it costs me my life, if you have to lose me, at least it won't be for nothing. The Inquisition won't prevail if you are not with us", the Seeker continued.

"But- " the Inquisitor sighed and leaned his forehead to hers. She didn't move away. "I understand. We can't just throw this away, can we? Just promise me that you'll do your best to stay alive. I promise I'll be doing the same and we can watch each other's back at the same time."

"I see."

"Promise me, Cassandra", he brought one of his hands to her face, his eyes on hers.

"You have my word", she replied after a moment of silence.

He gave a weak smile and she returned it with her own.

"Now we should hurry to the camp and treat your wounds," he stepped back and gestured to her right leg. "Are we ready to go back yet?", he turned and addressed his two other companions still busying themselves with the carcasses.

"Yes, we can go now, if you're ready", Blackwall stood up and answered. Solas simply nodded.

Thus, their adventure in the Emerald Graves for the day ended. Blackwall couldn't resist a chuckle when he saw how the Seeker finally relented on the Inquisitor's demand to let him carry her until they reach the camp. The sun was already starting to set and they needed to move fast so she didn't have much choice considering her wounds. In moments like this, he was reminded to why he decided to fight for the Inquisition. The Inquisition's main purpose may be to restore order in Thedas, but it also exists for its people. People who want to live to reach a better tomorrow, people who have someone they're trying to protect. He would see to it that they succeed.

* * *

Cole watched as Ser Morris, the Inquisitions' quartermaster marched steadily up the flight of stairs. Only a few more steps and a short corridor later and he'd be at the door of the Inquisitor's quarters. Morris twisted his neck left and right, readied himself to meet the Inquisitor for his weekly report. He's decidedly a dedicated man, but somehow that morning he didn't quite make it to the Inquisitor's front door. A servant girl shouted at him in a panicked voice from the feet of the stairs below, flailing her arms dramatically. Some crates of expensive liquor had gone missing from the cellar. Morris remembered that they were going to host a banquet for the visit of an important duke in the evening. Replacements must be made, quickly. The liquor was the duke's favorite and it's not easy to find, no matter how influential the Inquisition had become. The quartermaster cursed inwardly and trotted back down. The report would have to wait.

To his astonishment, a couple of hours later the crates were found behind a bookshelf on the underground library next to the cellar by another servant who was sweeping the floors. Everyone in the vicinity swore up and down that they didn't see anyone moving the crates and the cellar was locked at night. No matter, he thought to himself. The quartermaster had heard about the strange disappearances of various objects around Skyhold and there were so many more pressing issues to attend to rather than pondering at the missing wine crates, which happened to had been found again anyway.

The sun was already high when he finally presented himself to the Inquisitor for his reports. He already braced himself to be reprimanded for his lateness. For the second time that day, he was astonished. Not only the Inquisitor acted like nothing had gone wrong, Morris' own annoyance at the disruption almost disappeared completely when he saw that the Lord Trevelyan looked much more rested than he had been the days before. Little did he know that if he had knocked on the Inquisitor's door that morning he would likely be met with not only the Inquisitor's, but also Lady Pentaghast's tired and slightly offended face. They would have tried their best to conceal their annoyance at the breach of their rare moments of privacy, but Cole had heard everything; their silent pleas for a moment's respite, especially in days like these. It was only a few days since they returned from a tiring expedition, this time with the addition of Cassandra being injured, yet they had been swarmed by everyone wanting their attention on every single problem that had piled when they're absent. Cole just wanted to make them feel a little better.

Ser Morris finished his reports and quietly bowed out of the Inquisitor's quarters. Cole diverted his senses elsewhere and from somewhere in the sea of voices he could hear Cassandra swinging her practice sword at the training ground. There's renewed vigor in her swings and her leg injury had healed almost completely. He also sensed a renewed bond between his two friends and observed it with wonder.

Content with how things turned out, he decided that he had helped his new friends for that day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Sorry for not updating for ages. The release of Trespasser DLC made me start another new playthrough and guess which character my Inquisitor choose to romance, again. I haven't reached any DLC content yet though, so don't worry, no DLC spoilers here.

This is yet another chapter from another character's viewpoint, because I love each one of the Inquisition's members and it's fun to write this way. Next time will be Cassandra and the Inquisitor actually being together on screen, promise.

* * *

Varric was sitting on his usual spot by the main hall's door, reading his letters and documents. It was still early in the morning and Skyhold's staffs and servants were bustling about around him, getting the main hall ready for whichever nobles or dignitaries planned to visit that day. At a glance, the dwarf looked busy; head bent over, eyes poring over sentences and once a while he picked up a pen and parchment to write a reply. Most people don't know that he's also sitting there to listen. The document he's reading and the ones scattered around him on the table were trivial ones that contained no crucial information. He only read the truly important ones, even if they're coded, in his room, behind locked doors. His customary appearance in the main hall every morning was mainly to listen in on the unsuspecting servants who talks more freely when most of the important people of the Inquisition hadn't started their day yet. It's like a little experiment of his, this activity. It never failed to amuse him the amount of things that the servants know and talk about when they think no one's listening.

That one morning his observations were suddenly put to halt when he noticed the sound of a pair of heavy boots clearly moving in his direction. He knew who they belong to without having to lift his head. After all, he always try to put as much distance as possible between himself and that particular person at all times. Yet, the peculiarity of the situation and the uncertainty he could hear in that person's steps made him stayed himself.

The pair of boots and their owner stopped right in front of Varric.

Silence.

One second.

Two second.

How irritating.

Slowly, Varric sighed, still pretending to be busy with his documents, not even bothering to look up.

"Yes, Seeker?"

Now that she's very near, he could almost hear the fidgeting coming off from the Nevarran seeker, which confused and intrigued him even more. He waited for another couple of seconds until she finally said something.

"I need to talk to you, Varric. I need your help."

Huh. That's not how she usually sound like. She's really nervous. Interesting.

Sensing that it might actually be a serious issue, Varric pulled his imaginary attention from the parchment in his hand and looked at the Seeker. She's still trying to pull her usual stern look but Varric knew better.

"Of course. What can I possibly do to help you?", he answered with the most professional tone he could muster.

Cassandra was obviously surprised at the lack of witty comeback or any kind of resistance she expected from the dwarf but tried to hide it. After a slight pause in which Varric tried to no avail to guess what she could possibly want from him, she explained slowly,

"I heard from the Iron Bull that you can help with… procuring certain goods that can't be obtained elsewhere."

Here she stopped again and took a deep breath. Varric eyed her carefully, still not quite getting where they were going. It's true that he had helped some members of the Inquisition obtaining some goods; exotics such as chocolate for Iron Bull and sometimes illegals like dangerous potion ingredients for some of the Inquisition's mage allies. Does she want me to stop? But then why is she acting so nervous?

"I might need your… expertise to get a certain goods for someone. Can you help?", the Seeker finally supplied.

Varric secretly let go a long breath and pasted a controlled smile on his face.

"Of course. What kind of goods do you want me to find? I'll try my best to obtain them as long as you, you know, will pay for them."

"I don't have much gold in my possession, but if it's reasonable then I'll surely pay. I'm not a thief."

"That's good. So, what kind of merchandise would you have me find for you? Some rare poetry book? A rune for your sword?"

Once again, the Seeker paused and looked very uncertain. Sometimes Varric wondered how someone in her position can stay alive while being so transparent like this.

"Do you know about coffee, Varric?"

Coffee? Of course he knows about coffee. It's a type of beans from the far south that can be processed into a drink. The exotic drink caused quite a craze among some nobles in the Free Marches a while back.

"Yes, I know about it and I can help you get some if you want, but I really didn't expect you to be a coffee drinker", the dwarf said in an amused tone.

"It's-it's not for me, actually. It's for the Inquisitor. I heard he likes to drink coffee."

Now she's visibly fidgeting, looking like she really didn't want to be there. Varric rolled his eyes inwardly. As much as they wanted to hide it from the public eye, which wasn't very successful anyway, Varric knew of the Seeker's relationship with their Inquisitor. He couldn't imagine what their leader saw in her, but hey, it's none of his business. Still, why now? It's already Wintermarch, Satinalia is obviously already behind them.

"The Inquisitor, his name day is this month. I was just…", the Seeker tried to explain but trailed off in the end. Her face got redder with every word she said and he could see her clenching her fists on her sides.

Varric willed himself not to drop his jaw or roll off his chair at the sudden development, lest the Seeker would truly kill him and dump his body in Skyhold's freezing ditches. He settled for a slightly leery smile instead.

"Why, Seeker, I didn't know that you can be such a swee-"

"Not another word, Varric", the Seeker all but growled at the smiling dwarf. He raised his stocky hands in defeat and reapplied his professional look.

"That's fine, Seeker. I will do my best and tell you once I have it. It might be a bit difficult to obtain coffee in this season but I'll work extra hard for the Inquisitor." The Seeker then told him that Inquisitor Trevelyan's name day is near the end of the month so he should have an ample amount of time. Once again Varric offered a smile and a reassuring look, confirming his acceptance of the request.

"I-I really appreciate this, Varric. Thank you."

With that, Cassandra turned to leave Varric and his paperwork.

"Seeker, wait."

At the dwarf's call, Cassandra turned her head slightly, just enough to acknowledge him, apparently still too embarrassed to fully face him after such a revelation.

Varric couldn't deny that something about the Seeker's willingness to get out of her way and made a deliberate contact with him, of all people, had impressed him. The day when he can finally forgive what she had done to him might actually be closer now. Maybe. For now, he will offer a bit of support.

"It's very kind of you to do this, Seeker. He's lucky to have you. I know it must be difficult at times. Do take care of him, will you? Make sure he's still human after all this madness ends.", he said in the most candid tone since they started the conversation.

The Seeker only made the slightest nod and hurriedly walked out of the main hall, probably to start her morning training session on the castle grounds. Or to let the winter air cool her heated face. Perhaps both. Varric returned to his not-so-important documents, breaking into a chuckle after making sure the Seeker was far enough to not hear him. He just knew that this episode would have to be included in his book of the Inquisition. A hero's tale is always great, but a hero in love is always better.


End file.
